Egypt: Egyptian Railways – 125 Years Old · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

Egyptian blogger Zeinobia celebrates here the 125th anniversary of the Egyptian Railways.
Historically and internationally we were the second country after UK to have a railways. Today from 125 years on the 16th of September 1856 Egypt inaugurated the first railway in Africa and in the East.
It was during Khedive Abbas I era.The Railway was from Alexandria to Cairo “209 km”. Khedive Abbas I whom we rarely remember signed  an agreement with Engineer Robert Stephenson to build the railways  for 56,000 Pounds in 1850. In 1851 Stephenson had accepted to be Engineer-in-Chief to the Egyptian Railway between Alexandria and Cairo. In 1855 Stephenson inaugurated the first two moveable bridge in Egypt at Kafr Zayat and Benha.